Thousands of people are canceling or delaying vacation plans as Hurricane Ian makes its way through Florida.
YORK, Pa. – Gary Goldstein with Pan World Travel has dealt with his fair share of hurricanes in his 40 years as a travel agent. He says Hurricane Ian has forced one of his clients to cut their vacation short.
“They were celebrating a birthday on beautiful Marco Island, and they evacuated on Tuesday and went to Fort Myers,” Goldstein said, “The last two nights, they had no power and some issues. Today they left to go West Palm Beach to fly home.”
Goldstein’s customers’ story is playing out across the travel industry as thousands of people are delaying or canceling their Florida vacations.
Sophie Fellner with Fernweh Travel Experiences says airlines, hotels and resorts will work to help people get refunds for their missed trips.
“So the airlines would cancel your flight and give a full refund for the payment made,” Fellner said. “Customers who are already at their destination like Disney or Universal, they can fly before the airports close and get a full refund as well.”
While airlines and hotels can work to cover costs, Doni Lee Spiegel with AAA Central Pennsylvania says travelers insurance will provide people with additional coverage for canceled vacations.
“This is a situation where travelers insurance is really helpful,” Spiegel said. “It only costs a few extra dollars, but it covers situations like this and can help prevent a headache down the road.”
Spiegel encourages domestic travelers affected by Hurricane Ian to contact their travel agents to help recover as much money as possible.
“Most of our travel partners are happy to help accommodate people in a situation like this.”
